Reasons to be cheerful: part four

[shewhomust]

All over my f-list, people are celebrating Thanksgiving by listing the things they have to be thankful for. This is very cheering. So here's my contribution: I am continually thankful for Nancy Banks-Smith. For example:

Heston Blumenthal: In Search of Perfection (BBC2) is better than Bond. "My name is Heston. Heston Blumenthal," said our hairless hero, whose deadly weaponry is dry ice and flame throwers. His mission was to rescue fish and chips from the Chinese. The fish must be Cornish turbot. The potatoes, Arran Victory. The batter - tempura, honey, vodka and beer - should be aerated in a soda siphon. The result will look downright lethal, so spray the room with the juice of pickled onions for that unforgettable, unforgotten chip-shop aroma. Blumenthal did not specify what sort of paper they should be wrapped in. This is critical. The texture should be absorbent, the ink fast and the content engrossing. You cannot leave these things to chance.

Nancy Banks-Smith
The Guardian
Wednesday November 22, 2006